Bonhams 1793 : WILLUGHBY (FRANCIS) De historia piscium libri quatuor, 2 parts in one vol., 1686 [but 1740]

De historia piscium libri quatuor, 2 parts in one vol., first edition, second issue (with the additional "Index Piscium"), edited by John Ray, engraved vignette on letterpress title, additional allegorical engraved title with dedication to Samuel Pepys by Paul van Somer (dated 1685), 187 engraved plates, engraved head-pieces, some off-setting, browning and spotting, contemporary calf, rebacked preserving original gilt spine, rubbed, spine cracked [Wing W2877; Nissen ZBI 4417; cf. Keynes 47], folio, Oxford, Sheldonian Theatre, 1686

Sold for £2,500 inc. premium

Footnotes

"The Historia Piscium... was a sumptuous production... it was obviously a slow process disposing of the 500 copies of the book, and some still remained unsold more than fifty years after its publication, for in 1740 the Royal Society authorised its reissue with a full annotated index compiled under the care of the Secretary, Cromwell Mortimer" (Keynes). This copy has the index with colophon dated 1740, but with the original title-page dated 1686.

Category: Books / Books, Maps and Manuscripts

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